Cleansing Showers
by TabzChewy
Summary: Sequel to Withered Flowers. Byakuya and Hitsugaya find someone that they have wished to find, but what happens when they break the laws to do so? Please read and review!
1. First Shower

**First Shower**

"Ne, Taichou, are you _really_ concentrating on your work? You've been funny ever since you got back from your New Year's vacation," a buxom blonde woman slung a careless arm around the young white-haired captain. The said captain glowered at the neat stack of papers in front of him in annoyance before shoving her arm away.

"I don't want to hear about concentrating on work from you, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya snapped in his usual impatient manner.

Matsumoto grinned, crossing her arms over her rather exposed chest, "I've got to keep you in check, Taichou. Suiren isn't around do that anymore, you know." The moment she said it, Matsumoto's eyes widened briefly. Everyone in the tenth branch, especially her, knew how the former captain's name was almost taboo around Hitsugaya. "Ah, I didn't really—ah, I mean, uh…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, especially right after…the anniversary…"

Hitsugaya stood up abruptly, and he did not look at her, but his fists were clenched visibly, "It's fine. I'm leaving. Close up properly, Matsumoto. And," he stopped and shot her a glare, "if I find so much of a drop of sake around here, you know what will happen, don't you?"

Matsumoto grinned sheepishly while running her hand through her thick blonde hair, "Yep! Night, Taichou!"

The door rolled shut behind Hitsugaya with a snap. Matsumoto sank into her captain's now vacant chair with a faint smile, "Looks like he's finally starting to get over it."

.:l:.

Byakuya looked up at the darkening sky. He could almost smell it. A thunderstorm was fast approaching. His hands wrapped around the warm tea cup more tightly. Thunderstorms always reminded him of _her_. She loved them, especially when he allowed her to sit outside, which he only allowed once. The fool had then decided that it was funny to sit in the middle of a puddle and test her luck of getting hit by lightning.

Byakuya looked at his desk at the once-white paper on his desk. It was beginning to yellow with age. Well, it _had_ been a little less than fifty years since she had died in the Spirit World. He reached for it and unfolded it gently.

It was such a simple letter. And yet, Byakuya could never quite understand why he treasured it more than the scarf that he always wore. Once again, he read the words to himself.

_Bya-kun,_

_Thank you for everything. I've loved you from that time, and I never ever stopped. _

_-Suiren_

_P.S. Don't be so stubborn all the time. You pig. XP_

Only she ever called him a pig. Only she ever called him anything but his name and "Captain." Only she ever had come close enough to be called "friend."

He had never spent so much time searching for someone except for his foster sister, Rukia. As usual, it was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. To find a single soul that may or may not have been reincarnated in a world where billions of different souls resided. It was an almost impossible task. And yet, Byakuya had done it. It was by pure chance that the single time he had had to go to the material world weeks ago, after the _ryouka_'s intrusion, he had seen a girl.

She did not have Suiren's aquamarine eyes. But her face had the same smiling lips, the laughing eyes, the same warmth that never seemed to dim. And…she could control water.

_He had been in the area when there was a Hollow alert. He had gone, simply to finish the job quickly only to see it already done. The Hollow was impaled on a large icicle that seemed to have appeared out of the snow. There was no one but a girl. She was on her knees in the snow, breathing heavily, her face flushed. She had sunglasses on. _

Where is the shinigami?_ Byakuya thought. He had not sensed one for quite some distance. His hakama swished quietly as he turned, looking for a black uniform. _

_"Who's there?!" the girl had shouted. Her head twisted towards Byakuya's direction as she got up. She stumbled through the snow towards him. Byakuya, surprised, did not step back, even when she grabbed a fistful of his haori. _

_"Is that thing gone?" she shouted, her face facing his. "Did that little girl get away? Hey! Answer, you idiot!" She shook him. _

_"You…can see me?" Byakuya finally managed to ask. _

_"Of course I can see—" the girl suddenly stopped. She stumbled back, her eyes still hidden by the sunglasses. "I…I can…I can see you. You…are you one of them?! Those monsters that are always in this town! No one but me can see them, and _stay away from me_!" she backed away. "If you're here to get us, I won't let you! I'm warning you! I can kill you just like I killed that monster! I won't let you hurt the kids here!" _

_Byakuya held his hands up in a gesture of peace, "I'm not a Hollow. I'm a shinigami. The monster is the thing you just destroyed. It targets things with spiritual energy, which you seem to have. But, I don't understand. Why…are you surprised that you can see me? People do not usually know the difference between us and regular humans except for the clothing…that is…when they _can_ see us."_

_"Answer my question first!" the girl was keeping a safe distance between them. "You don't see a girl around here, do you? Anyone besides us?"_

_"None." _

_The girl let out a sigh, "Good." She straightened and this time held out her hand to him, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm Byakuren. And, the fact that I can see you must mean that you aren't normal. But anyways," she shivered. "Can we go somewhere warm? I'm freezing. Where am I?"_

_"I don't understand. Are not from around here? I do not know this area."_

_"Ah, that's right. I don't know where I am," her gloved hands touched her dark glasses and she lifted them off, "because I'm blind."_

_Byakuya almost took a step back when he saw her silver eyes, "Then…how can you see me?"_

_Byakuren shrugged and replaced the glasses, "You tell me. I've been able to see things that normal people can't see but I can't see things that normal people _can_ see. Anyways, tell me where we are. I want to get home and get something hot. What's your name anyways?" She smiled sheepishly. "I can't apologize for yelling properly if I don't know your name."_

_There was a pause before he stepped after her, "Kuchiki. Kuchiki Byakuya." _

_"Ah, well, yoroshiku, Bya-kun. Sorry for yelling at you earlier. Wanna come with me for jasmine tea?"_

* * *

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates around Perpetual Spring. After I looked over it, I didn't like how it was turning out, and I unofficially scrapped it. Hopefully, this will be better, shorter, and more to the point. 

PLEASE review! I really love those comments!


	2. Second Shower

**Second Shower**

"Ren."

Byakuren turned to face the voice, and her sightless eyes widened behind her sunglasses, "Ah! Bya-kun!"

"Ren!" the girls around her grabbed her arms. They lowered their voices. "Who is that guy? We thought you were going out with Tomoya! Don't go hogging all the cute guys by yourself!"

"What are you talking about?" she laughed and shrugged them off. "Guys, this is Bya-kun. Bya-kun, this is Yuki, Emi, and Sachiko." She skipped over and grabbed his arm. "I just met him! And besides, what gave the stupid idea that Tomoya and I were going out?"

"Ren?" a voice came from behind her friends.

"Tomoya!" Yuki turned, her eyes wide. "Ah, you're, uh, ah…"

"Tomoya?" Ren did not release Byakuya's arm. "I thought you had kendo."

"Practice got cancelled. Who is he?" Tomoya's voice was considerably colder than usual as he regarded Byakuya.

"A friend," Ren answered brightly and obliviously. "We were just getting ready to leave. C'mon, Bya-kun."

Byakuya did not say anything except for glancing briefly at Tomoya and turning, "Did you want to go to that café?"

"Yeah! Your treat!" Ren giggled. "Dango! Or something else sweet!"

"You haven't changed," Byakuya murmured, almost to himself, as he helped her into the contraption that humans called a car. Compared to mastering his bankai, driving the moving hunk of metal was nothing. Luckily, Ren could not see, or she would have missed all the times he ignored the traffic lights and when the car seemed to fly down-hill roads. To bystanders, Kuchiki Byakuya was not as good at driving cars as he believed, especially when they were going 60 miles an hour down a pedestrian street.

"What are you talking about? You've only known me for a month, and besides, you always show up out of nowhere!" Ren pouted. "Can you give me a warning for when you're coming? And how'd you know where I went to school anyways?"

"We're busy," Byakuya replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "I have only been able to come here on my time off and with what has happened recently, it's surprising that we have gotten any time off at all. As for your school, there is someone I know that goes here. Karakura High School."

"Huh? Who?" Ren asked eagerly. "Are they shinigami too? Like you?"

"A substitute one. His name is…Kurosaki."

"Oh!" Ren exclaimed. "I know him! He's a year below me, a first-year student! I heard he's always getting in fights! But anyways, it's been a really long time since we saw each other." She suddenly rested her head against his arm. "I've…I don't know why, but after I met you…I feel really…warm. When you're here, I don't know why, but I'm really happy, Bya-kun."

Byakuya almost let a faint smile slip, "You really haven't changed."

They rode in silence for awhile until Byakuya drove into a small parking lot of a small bakery, "We've arrived."

"Ah, ok!" Ren's fingers felt for the lock but Byakuya reached over and unlocked the door.

"Just wait," he said softly. "I'll always be there to help you."

He did not see her flush as he got out of the car and opened her door. Ren held his arm as he guided her to the door and opened it.

"Ah! Ren-chan! You're here!" a chubby motherly woman was behind the counter. "Oh, and you brought a boyfriend, hm?"

"Ah, no!" Ren flushed even more deeply. "This is—he's just a friend! Um, I'll get two custard buns!"

Once they were in the car, Ren pushed one of the buns toward him, "Here, eat."

Byakuya took it, "Thank you…I thought you said I was going to treat."

"No way," Ren shook her head, turning away from him. "If you did that, she'd really think you were my boyfriend. Anyways, I want to go home."

He started the car. There was a silence once again before Byakuya spoke up again. "I…was married before. But…my wife passed away. Through all of it…I had a friend. She stood by my side for over fifty years. And then…she was killed by a Hollow. She left me a letter. In the letter…she confessed her feelings to me."

"Then do you love her?" Ren asked abruptly, still keeping her face away from him. "This girl. She loved you, even when you got married. Did you ever love her back after your wife died?"

Byakuya pulled into an apartment complex's parking lot and parked, "If I did…it was too late to say it." He stared at the dashboard of the car. "I always seem to be too late in everything I do. I do not want to make the same mistake. Ren—"

"I don't need to hear any more!" her voice was suddenly louder and she did not face him. Instead, her hands felt along the door of the car until she felt the lock and she pushed the door open. "I don't even know why you're telling me this!" Without another word, she got out and slammed the door shut. Ren reached out blindly, feeling her way amongst the cars.

"Ren!" Byakuya got out. "What are you--?" His phone suddenly beeped in his pocket and he frowned, pulling it out, and flipping it open. An order. At a time like this! "Ren, wait!"

"I told you! I don't want to hear it!" she shouted furiously, stamping through the melting puddles of snow. "Just go away! Someone just called you! I don't want to talk to you!"

Byakuya's frown deepened before reaching into his pocket and swallowed a round white pill. He would have to come back later.

Ren meanwhile, tried to listen for sounds of him approaching. She was concentrating on the sound that she did not notice the young boy in front of her, and almost tripped over him.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" she cried, reaching out to help him up. "Are you alright?"

"You're always so damn clumsy!" the white-haired boy growled, straightening his jacket. He eyed her, his green eyes glaring past her sunglasses. With a dull shock, Ren also realized that she could see him clearly. "Why the hell are you wearing sunglasses right now? Aren't you going to invite me in for tea?"

"You—how dare you take such a familiar tone with me?" Ren cuffed his head slightly. "An elementary school kid like you, already dying his hair funny colors, you're just going to end up as a punk!"

"Glad to see that you haven't changed," Hitsugaya growled back, shoving her hand away, "Suiren-taichou."

* * *

To Alastor90: I'm sorry for the small word count ( I was told in sixth grade by my teacher that chapters were only 1 page max, and it seems like I took her too seriously, because I seem to consistently end my chapters after a page...and unfortunately, I think most of this fic's chapters are shorter too. I'm working on it though! 

Commentary: I'm a little worried about how OOC Byakuya might be in this fic. I've done my best to keep him in character, but his near confession (which might not have even been a confession) makes me a little worried. Comments and constructive critique is welcome. :)

Please Read and Review!!!!! I love comments! Really!


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